Pen-based PDAs on the way out- HP

A VP for Consumer Products and Mobile Business for HP stated at a show in Hong Kong this week that due to low sales of pen-based PDAs the company will be focusing on more converged devices going forward. Smartphones do not have a stylus so it sounds like HP will be concentrating on the smartphone segment and dropping back on its pen-based offerings. HP has long been the leader in the PDA market with its venerable iPAQ line of Pocket PCs but according to Mr. Chin-Teik SEE of HP the pen-based market is shrinking at a rate of 30 percent every year.

“There’s still a market… it’s small, but it’s still there,” Chin-Teik said, citing “entry-level PDA” buyers and SMBs as the primary sources of demand for the sector.

“We are still committed to the pen-based classic PDA product segment… although it’s not growing,” said Chin-Teik, and as a result HP “is looking more to the converged space” going forward.